International Migrants and AMR

Migrants and refugees across the world often face poorer health outcomes as a result of social and systemic discrimination, language and cultural barriers, and limited or lack of access to health services.* For this vulnerable population, unsafe or inadequate housing during migration, and exposure to pathogens during traveling increase the risk of acquiring communicable diseases (Vignier 2018), and this is compounded by the higher risk of contracting drug-resistant infections, often called superbugs. Drug resistance or antimicrobial resistance (AMR) develops when germs mutate and change over time and become resistant to the medicines that are used to treat them. Drug resistance complicates treatment and increases the chances of disease transmission and spread. AMR can develop or worsen as a result of delayed or limited medical care and heightened rates of infection. In this brief commentary, we explore recent literature and research on how migration and related factors can increase migrants’ vulnerability to drug-resistant infections.